This past week, a new Baylor friend moved up to the wonderful and increasingly popular Pacific Northwest. Margaret is a year younger than me and just graduated from Baylor this past May. She decided she wants to have a year of adventure and chose Portland as her destination. Margaret and I didn't really know each other at Baylor but have some mutual friends that made the connection for us. So yesterday, we met for brunch at Bread and Ink Cafe located on SE Hawthorne where we chatted and got to know each other. Margaret literally doesn't know anyone in Portland, so I'm glad that I'm here to show her the ropes (even though I've only been here for 8 months myself).
Last night, Margaret joined a group of us for dinner at Bay 13 in the Pearl District. 4 out of the 5 of us were Baylor grads - poor Allen (a Tennessee grad) had to listen to several conversations about the SLC, Bear Trail, Common Grounds, our communication profs, and the upcoming Bears football season... but by the end of the night he had mastered the art of the Baylor claw (perfectly formed by placing your right hand over your knee, raising the hand in the air and making a diagonal motion toward your left hip and back up).
This afternoon was rumored to be the last beautiful, warm day of summer before cooler weather sets in for the fall. So Margaret and I packed up a blanket, our sunglasses and a few good novels and took advantage of the perfect day by soaking up the sun at Laurelhurst Park. Its nice having a friend who is up for Portland adventures with me - and who has a little extra time on her hands as well since she is also looking for a job.
This weekend, my good friend Daniel (a former Murdock intern and my former "counselor") was in town for a weekend graduate class, so we had lunch at Laughing Planet and caught up on our ever-changing lives. Come Saturday, Daniel will be a married man so it was fun to hear how all of the wedding plans are falling into place! Tomorrow we are going to go on a short run before he heads back to Grants Pass.
My life and community in Portland seem to be constantly changing, but I am thankful for old friends who come back to visit and new friends with whom to embrace the city.
That is so cool that you have such a network of friends. I'm amazed at how you have gotten so involved in Portland, and more importantly, how you have connected w/so many people. I know Margaret is thankful to have you as a new friend. You're paying it forward...remembering how Carrie befriended you! Love you!
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